Undergraduate

Art and Art History

In Fine Art we are dedicated to the conservation and innovative development of traditional skills, high standards of execution, and the application of visual acumen. Drawing is at the heart of the student¹s experience. We regard it as not only a process but also the pre-eminent means by which the student acquires a cognitive faculty, perceptual acuity, and manual facility to represent the world. Drawing is also fundamental to the training in all other mediums and, thus, occupies a central position in the curriculum, particularly in the first year of the degree schemes. In the context of the recent revival of interest in traditional drawing skills, the School is at the cutting edge of Art education.

The study of Art History is, likewise, a highly disciplined endeavour. The subject is conceived of in terms of a historical, theoretical, and critical study of artefacts, techniques, texts, and ideas within a social, historical, and philosophical context. The degree schemes place great stress on the student's ability to research, analyse, evaluate information, and clearly articulate ideas both in writing and orally. Students pursue core and optional modules covering a period from the Renaissance to the present day. The schemes provide a general survey of the discipline as well as a specialised and in-depth study of specific subjects. There is also the possibility of exciting combinations of Art History with either Fine Art or another subject (for example, European Languages, English, History, and Information and Library Studies). Many of the Art History modules are delivered by Art Historians who also practise as Artists: thus, the study of the discipline is intimately related to, and informed, by the issues of image making.

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